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Monthly Archives: August 2015

Benefits Of Using E Waste Disposal Services

Electronic waste (a.k.a., e waste) is a term used so often that its meaning has paradoxically become a little vague.

Part of the reason that electronic waste is hard to define is that this kind of waste comes from many sources – computers, stereos, copiers and the list goes on – and the fact that e waste can include so many consumer electronics at the end of their useful life.

Electronic Waste? Useful life? 

A lot of these terms entered the public lexicon around the time that quick technological change and high electronics’ turnover started to become commonplace around 2000.

Pieces of legislation in California like the Electronic Waste Recycling Act of 2003 also brought the issue of e waste and responsible disposal/reuse to popular attention. The fact that tech change and electronics’ turnover were becoming a yearly thing for many people meant that something needed to change in how e waste was dealt with.

So where does this idea of an electronic’s “useful life” come into play? An electronic’s useful life ties into tech turnover in that the quicker tech change happens the more likely consumers are to adopt newer, better electronics.

An electronic’s useful life, or life cycle, is getting shorter as better technologies come along and steal the spotlight from yesteryear’s products. Some electronics have longer life expectancies than others.

Flat screen televisions have a relatively long life cycle at just over seven years whereas laptops and Smartphones have a significantly shorter life cycle. This is all to say that more consumer electronics are reaching landfills as their life cycle expires.

Getting more of these used electronics into recycling programs or embracing responsible disposal is, therefore, a huge step of personal responsibility and environmental stewardship for anyone to take.

Benefits of Responsible E waste Disposal 

A piece of electronics that’s reached the end of its useful cycle might be lying around your home right now.

This might sound like a boring observation but it’s a potential issue for two reasons – recycling that product instead of letting it slowly decay can lead to less overall waste and, secondly, removing that product from your home could lower your chances of being exposed to toxic waste. Let’s explore the second point for a moment.

Electronics that have reached the end of their life cycle often contain toxic materials like mercury and lead that need to be responsibly disposed of or recycled.

It’s that simple: letting e waste fester in homes, offices or factories results in even more e-waste, as materials that could be recycled aren’t, and lingering e-waste also results in potential exposure to toxic materials.

Reuse and Donation Vs. Disposal Vs. Recycling 

What you do with your e waste is, of course, up to you. There are also different kinds of benefits and considerations whether you want to donate your obsolete electronics to needy families, simply have it taken away or have your used electronics recycled.

Reusing or donating your electronic waste effectively keeps used electronics, and toxins, out of landfills and does other people a world of good at the same time. Some donation non-profits link up consumers (i.e., you and me) with underfunded schools or needy families that could benefit from those devices.

If you’re looking to recycle your e waste then make sure that you’re going through the right channels. The Basel Action Network works in partnership with the E-stewards certification process to ensure recycled e waste doesn’t contribute further to greenhouse gas emissions or expose anyone to toxic materials.

Responsibly disposing your e waste (obsolete televisions, monitors, phones or even kitchen appliances) is also now easier than ever.

What You Need to Know About Household Hazardous Waste

What You Need to Know About Household Hazardous Waste Junk King MarinThe Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in 2010 exposed the dangers of industrial hazardous waste. That said, many people still don’t know all the facts about household hazardous waste lurking in and around their homes. Here’s what you need to know:

Facts about Household Hazardous Waste 

Household hazardous waste, if you’re like the average American, is accumulating in your home as you read this blog.

Scope of the Problem 

That’s because most people have a collective one hundred pounds or more of hazardous waste in their garages, sheds, closets and basements. This is a big problem and it’s not going away without a fight.

In fact, Americans generate upwards of 1.5 million tons of household hazardous waste annually, and that number is growing as more waste sources are identified and the population continues to grow.

So where the heck does this waste come from and why is it so harmful – hazardous, if you will – for the people who ignore the problem and the environment that suffers the consequences?

Sources of Household Hazardous Waste 

The answer is that household hazardous waste, as you may have guessed based on where it resides in the home (garages, closets, etc.), takes the form of household cleaners, battery acid, wall paint and common pesticides.

Car batteries and automative fluids can also accumulate in garages over time and pose significant health risk and environmental dangers.

As with most problems, though, the first step you can take to combat the problem is to identify the problem in the first place: forewarned is forearmed.

Identifying Household Hazardous Waste 

People are probably already most familiar with the skull-and-crossbones symbol denoting poisonous (a.k.a., toxic) materials. These could include household cleaners that also happen to be a household hazardous waste source.

Household hazardous waste may also be labelled as flammable, corrosive or reactive (see symbols in link below).

  • Flammable

Flammable hazardous waste (e.g., paint thinner or gasoline) is really a double whammy for homeowners in terms of liability – it ignites easily and burns rapidly.

This means that you’ll want to have any product labelled with the flammable hazardous waste symbol quickly disposed of and kept away from heaters and other fire sources around your home.

  • Corrosive

Corrosive hazardous waste might be the scariest type of household hazardous waste on this list because this type of hazardous waste has the potential to do some real damage if it comes into contact with your skin.

That’s because the “corrosive” part of corrosive household hazardous waste means that this type of waste can cause your skin to literally disintegrate. If that’s not scary enough, corrosive hazardous waste (e.g., bleach and battery acid) can also eat away at storage materials or part of your home as well.

Consider safely disposing corrosive household hazardous waste right away. Corrosive hazardous waste might be lurking in your yard, garage or storage closet right now so it’s important to deal with the problem before it gets out of hand.

  • Reactive

Reactive, or explosive, household hazardous waste is usually labelled in a way that sometimes throws people off – it shows a chemical reaction or explosion outward. Compared to the skull-and-crossbones symbol this is harder to quickly take in.

The dangers of reactive household hazardous waste, though, are very real. Reactive household hazardous waste can come in the form of any product that mixes bleach and ammonia in a way that could trigger a chemical reaction.

  • Toxic

Toxic, also known as poisonous, household hazardous waste comes in the form of pesticides and expired medicines. Having these around your home could be dangerous. Contact Jung King-Marin to get it handled today.

 

How a Junk Hauler Can Help You Organize Your Desk!

How a Junk Hauler Can Help You Organize Your Desk! Junk-King MarinWe’ve all been in this position – you have piles of old records, notebooks and magazines from years back that need cleaning out. Your home office is getting overrun with junk and it seems like more and more is piling up by the day, heck, by the hour.

You know that you should get around to cleaning it all up, sorting your things into a “disposables” and “essentials” category and getting on with your life. Somehow, though, life itself gets in the way. You’re either too busy with work or else shuttling kids to and from school. There simply aren’t enough hours in the day.

How a Junk Hauler Can Help 

Literally your one-stop solution is a junk removal service that can help you get rid of your old paperwork, superfluous office supplies and crumbling furniture.

Junk haulers come into your home or workspace, remove what you tell them to, then leave you to get on with your life. Think of it as a helping hand to your spring cleaning efforts.

A junk removal service does all of this on your schedule and provides a convenient service window with text or email reminders on their impending arrival.

This kind of prompt service is invaluable when it comes to cleaning out your workspace’s office. You can do the right thing and have your old office equipment and electronic waste responsibly disposed while unburying yourself from all the clutter. A win-win.

Benefits of a Clean Workspace 

Finally getting your desk clean, whether at your home office or remote office, is a truly energizing feeling and facilitates better work. A clean desk is both a cause and an effect of a razor-sharp mind.

  • Fewer Distractions

You think better and more efficiently when there aren’t any distractions in your immediate vicinity and when you can get down to work.

The trick is knowing what to keep within arm’s reach, which items to stow away into drawers and what to have a junk hauler take off your hands.

It helps a lot of people to visualize their desk as real estate. Only keep around items that deserve to be there – i.e., items like a personal computer, phone, stapler, a cup for pens and maybe a coaster for your morning coffee. Keep it simple.

  • Scrapping the Non-essentials

Keeping items that you deem what we’ll call level-two importance – things like forms that you make use of occasionally, tax returns or essential correspondences that you’ve made over the years – you should organize into clearly marked folders and stow away in your desk’s drawers. This ensures that your work area isn’t cluttered but that it still remains functional.

Really take a serious look at the clutter on your desk right now and ask yourself how much of it facilities your work and how much of it gets in the way. Consider letting a junk haul service get the latter items out of your hair.

Even look under your desk for boxes of forms that are just collecting cobwebs. Lastly, consider taking home personal items that you simply have laying around the office but really belong elsewhere.

Millions of Americans can attest to the benefits that cleaning their office has had on their professional lives. Having fewer distractions scattered about keeps your mind clear, improves productivity and it even presents a more professional image to clients who come into your workspace.

Before throwing away any documents, though, you might want to make a scan. On a more granular day-to-day level, try incorporating an in/out bin to organize incoming documents. For the rest, team up with Junk King-Marin.

 

Avoid Identity Theft With Proper E Waste Disposal Methods

Avoid Identity Theft With Proper E Waste Disposal Methods Junk-King MarinIdentity theft has become a major concern, not only for regular people but for entire companies. Every customer you have and every employee who has ever passed through your doors has a life that needs a special sort of protection — information. The problem is, far too often employers and companies in general neglect to protect information on older computer and other electronic hardware. This is where E waste disposal comes in.

How is Information Lost in Old Electronics?

Electronics contain all sorts of information about everyone you know or have had interactions with. In the modern world, electronics transmit data everywhere and are the receptacles of people’s lives in many practical ways. Everything from bank account and credit card information to Social Security numbers and personal addresses can be found in electronics. What many people forget is that in an electronic device, information stays until it is erased and recorded over. Because of this, one must be extremely careful when disposing of electronic devices to avoid losing their information. E waste disposal is a basic method of handling this problem.

Whenever an electronic device is thrown out anywhere, the information contained in it becomes public property. In many municipalities, putting out trash means it is effectively no longer your private property. So without E waste disposal, many companies and private individuals are putting out as much information as if they left their credit card, bank statement and driver’s license right out on the street for anyone to pick up at their leisure. E waste disposal has as its main purpose the elimination of this problem, although many people are still not even aware that electronics in the trash can pose such a risk to their information security.

Aren’t Broken Electronics Safe from Snooping?

The problem with folks who do not know why E waste disposal is so important is that many do not realize how much information can be gleaned from broken technology. Computers, phones, and sometimes even web routers may contain data that can be used against the person to devastating effect. Your identity, or that of an employee or customer, can be stolen and used for many kinds of nefarious activities.

The data on hard disks is stored physically, which means it may be accessible even if the device does not work. This is similar to how there are devices that can use a computer hard drive as a separate disk drive. A thief with some savvy and patience may be able to access a treasure trove of illicit gains this way.

Who is at Risk Without E Waste Disposal?

A better question to ask would be, who is not at risk? Any person who has used your systems in a manner that should be secured could be risking their information. Worse, an employee accessing your servers for completely innocent reasons will use their password — which could give a thief total, difficult-to-trace access to your entire company databases. Without E waste disposal, you may have to change every username and password in your entire system to ensure data safety.

What is E Waste Disposal?

E waste disposal is a method by which electronic components can be scrapped, cleaned of all their data and then put into new electronic devices later on. Through this method, your information can be kept safe without taking drastic measures. In some cases, this may be tax deductible as an expense item. Further, it is an environmentally friendly action that your customers may like.

E waste disposal is a great way to get rid of old electronics. It also keeps your data from thieves.

 

Great Uses for Broken Concrete Chunks

Great Uses for Broken Concrete Chunks Junk-King MarinLet’s say you’ve just finished doing some renovations to the landscaping in your front or backyard and you now have a bunch of broken concrete chunks lying around the premises. Should you have them hauled away or can you figure out a way to turn an eyesore into something attractive and/or useful? Having it hauled away may not be the most ecologically sound thing to do because you know where it’ll likely end up, yet getting a little creative with these excess chunks of urbanite (concrete from the city?) may add some flare and additional curb appeal to your home.

Broken Concrete and Flowerbeds

You may be surprised to find that broken concrete is being used to enhance the overall appearance of flowerbeds and walkways with a variety of decorative patterns. If you’ve got a green thumb, chances are you’ll want to allow your foliage arrangements to stand out by adding some pieces of broken concrete to the backdrop, thus giving it more of an attractive look with an array of decorative rock formations. When strategically placed within the greenery, you’d be amazed at how many different combinations can be used to solidify your garden. All it takes is a small shovel or trowel and a little bit of elbow grease to create a miniature oasis or two on your property. Many homeowners have also used broken pieces of concrete as a perimeter for their garden areas as well.

Broken Concrete and Clean Fill Projects

Clean fill is a term used in the world of concrete as an excellent type of filler for installing new driveways and backyard decks. Whether using asphalt or any other type of cement to pave your new driveway, pieces of broken concrete can be implemented as a solid filler while saving you some time, trouble, and money as well. And believe it or not, these chunks of concrete are solid foundation bonding agents, which can help to reduce the amount of cracking in your driveway over time. The same principle applies to backyard decks with raised foundations thus adding some sturdiness underneath the planks of wood.

Broken Concrete Walkways

One of the oldest and most battle-tested methods for using broken concrete is to build your very own walkway. Depending upon the overall landscape of your home, flagstone fragments are the most commonly used material for entry ways in the front yard, or encompassing backyard pools and flowerbeds. Although you may need to pour a little fresh concrete of your own, some amazing designs and patterns can be created. If you can possibly manage the time, collect all of your broken concrete slabs and envision how you want it to turn out. It’s a good idea to stake in some flexible wooden edgings and then place the concrete slab arrangement to your liking. You may need a rubber mallet, a few bags of fresh concrete and a wheelbarrow in order to complete the job, yet it’s a job well-worth completing, and it may turn out to be a lot of fun.

If none of these ideas sound like they’d be worth the time or the trouble, you can always call us at Junk-King or book an appointment online and we’ll be happy to pick up all of your broken concrete. You may also want to take comfort in the fact that we work very closely with a number of concrete recycling plants, meaning that your unwanted concrete will find a home and be used elsewhere, rather than cluttering up the nearest landfill. Either way, everybody wins!

Junk King Marin
851 Irwin St. #214
San Rafael, CA 94901
Hours: M-Sa: 8A-4P

Providing junk removal services to the Marin area, including:

Amer Cyn
Angwin
Corte Madera
Fairfax
Kentfield
Larkspur
Mill Valley
Monte Rio
Napa
Novato
Petaluma
Rohnert Park
San Anselmo
San Quentin
San Rafael
Santa Rosa
Sausalito
Vallejo
and these nearby zip codes:
94503, 94508, 94558, 94559, 94581, 94589, 94590, 94591, 94592, 94901, 94903, 94904, 94912, 94913, 94914, 94915, 94925, 94926, 94927, 94928, 94930, 94939, 94941, 94942, 94945, 94947, 94948, 94949, 94952, 94953, 94954, 94955, 94960, 94964, 94965, 94966, 94974, 94975, 94976, 94977, 94978, 94979, 94998, 94999, 95401, 95402, 95403, 95404, 95405, 95406, 95407, 95409, 95462, 95486